Wings of Light
by ShadowMeowth
Summary: [LR: FFXIII AU] He is an angel, servant of God, tasked with the holy mission of watching over Nova Chrysalia. He has been doing so for centuries, since it's the only purpose for his existence. Until one day, his imperturbable gaze is caught by the image of a rose-haired young human.
1. Angel

**A/N:** _Hi there, everyone! Well, this is an AU that struck me down last night and I had to write it. I know I'm already working on _**α|Ω**_, and this is why the chapters for this story won't be very long or I won't be able to finish this story and keep working on my _**LR** _sequel. But don't worry, this one won't be very long. I hope so, anyway!_

_So, well. I hope you like it! And if you want anything, let me know on the reviews!_

* * *

_**Wings of Light**_

* * *

_**| Prologue |**_

**Angel**

* * *

Watching over the world.

That was his job. The only reason for his existence.

The angel was sitting cross-legged on the white floor, his huge feathery wings folded covering his back. His only attire were pieces of purple silk that covered the lower part of his body and were wrapped around part of his arms and ankles.

In front of him a translucent sphere floated, surrounded by veils of golden magic. It showed images of the world of the surface, one after another. The angel could choose the images he wanted to see, but he hardly ever did so. He just let them go on and observed them with little interest, his aqua-green eyes slightly unfocused after centuries of not looking away from the sphere.

The truth was he didn't care. He was an angel, a divine creature. Servant of God, the almighty Bhunivelze. As his servant, he had no emotions. Ever since he could remember, he had been there, in the threshold of his master's realm, guarding the gate and watching over Nova Chrysalia from the Ark, the moon of the world.

He could see his reflection on the surface of the sphere. The angel looked like a young man in his middle twenties, lean and slender. He had extremely pale skin, which combined perfectly with his disheveled, thick silver hair that fell straight covering his neck. He observed his features, soft and strong at the same time. He ran a finger along the zigzagging scar over his left eye: it was his brand of servitude, marking him as a divine servant of God.

There were humans on the surface that said they served Bhunivelze, but the angel thought their efforts were in vain. God has more important things to do than attend to their demands. The stability of the Universe depended on him, and the whims of the human hearts were but fleeting, selfish prayers.

This is why the angel was there. He watched over what happened in the world, and his job was to alert Bhunivelze if the order of nature were to lose control. And he also had to monitor humans, in case their dangerous free will triggered a catastrophe.

During the long centuries he had been serving God, the angel had seen more than one disaster originated by the chaotic hearts of mankind. What they called 'emotions' was but a curse to his eyes. A burden that destroyed both them and the world his master was trying to protect.

_"Humans are weak"_, the angel thought. _"They succumb to the darkness rooted in their very nature. They are unable to embrace the light and reach pure bliss."_

Whenever he watched humans live their ephemeral lives, that thought haunted his mind. It was the duty of God to protect all life, and therefore it was his as well. But humans destroyed more than create. He couldn't say he liked them much.

However, this time, his eternal routine was turned upside down in a moment as fleeting as human lives were.

While observing the random images the magic sphere showed him, one of them made the apathetic gaze of the angel acquire a shine that never before his eyes had shown. He sat like a spring, unfolding his wings, and bent to look better at that brief image.

He hadn't had time to look at her properly. He only got a glimpse of spiky, wavy rose-colored hair and a pair of icy-blue eyes that had left him breathless.

For the first time in centuries, the angel used his power to make the sphere show him again that young woman, who looked humble and proud at the same time, as beautiful and mysterious as a goddess incarnate in a fragile human body.

The angel reached out to the sphere out of instinct, perhaps trying to touch the woman, to get to her. For some reason, he was so fascinated that he wasn't even aware that he _was_.

He was an angel, a divine being. Servants of God couldn't feel emotions.

But, unexplainably, he felt hopelessly drawn towards the image of that young woman. His green eyes were staring at her, fed by an almost feverish spark.

It had been centuries since the last time a thought pounded his mind that way. But while staring at that image, he could only think of a question, and how desperately he needed the answer.

_"Who are you?"_


	2. God

**A/N:** _First chapter! Yes, I'm writing this very fast. I'm really caught into the story! In fact, I think I've got it already planned. Sudden inspiration strike, I guess. But anyway, there you go!_

* * *

_**Wings of Light**_

* * *

**| I |**

**God**

* * *

The days went by. Almost a month, in fact. The angel wasn't used to tell time in days, not even months or even years. Those were concepts too fleeting for a being who had to witness the course of whole centuries.

But during that month he had hardly done anything but look at the image of that rose-haired young woman of icy eyes. He watched her over and over, his eyes bright and his breath caught. He didn't know who she was, or where she was going, or where she lived. All he knew was he couldn't stop looking at her.

At first he just wanted to observe her, and so satisfy his curiosity –which ended up developing into need– about her. But, obviously, the magic sphere only showed him images that were almost impossible to decipher without the context of words.

Over the past two weeks he had begun to consider the possibility to meet her in person. It was a thought that scared him greatly at first: he would be disobeying the direct orders from God to stay in the Ark. However, the idea had only become more and more urgent.

He felt disoriented; his hitherto impartial objectivity had turned upside down. He was supposed to watch over all of humanity, not being so obsessed with a single human.

In the end, he made a decision. If his job was to watch over the world and that circumstance wouldn't let him, perhaps he should fix it to move on and leave behind the image of the young woman.

The angel took a deep breath before crossing the threshold to Cosmogenesis, Bhunivelze's realm. It had been a long time since the last time he had been in his master's presence. Whenever he had, it was because God had wanted to. He had never gone there willingly before.

He closed his eyes and went through the gate. He felt how the light enveloped him, and when he opened them again, he found himself in a strange dark place, on a winding path made of huge tiles in the shape of suns and moons, topped by a gigantic golden crest against which the shadowy figure of God, shrouded in darkness as if he were the sun in an eclipse, stood, his two pairs of wings spread and majestic.

The angel walked slowly toward the god. He tried to pretend his usual calm and impassivity, but the truth was he felt nervous. He wondered if Bhunivelze knew, being almighty and omniscient as he was.

He knelt in front of God while folding his wings as the protocol required when bowing to his master.

"Master", the angel murmured, lowering his head in submission.

_Why have you come, my servant?_, an imperious voice resounded in the depths of his very essence. They weren't words as such, but sensations that formed concepts. Bhunivelze couldn't speak, but like all divine beings, he could communicate concepts directly with the core of all living things, which were translated into coherent sentences in the process.

He bit his lip in his uncertainty. Bhunivelze never moved nor he could see how he looked behind the cloak of darkness that surrounded him, but he felt that God was intrigued by his unexpected visit. And maybe, he was even somewhat annoyed.

"I am sorry to bother you, master. I have come to make you a humble request."

Bhunivelze took a long time to answer. The angel knew that if anything he would've expected him to bring troubling news from Nova Chrysalia, but never a request on his part. He himself was aware of how grave his daring was.

But despite this, he had to. He was willing to beg his master for letting him know that young woman in person.

_A request?_, God repeated. There was a tinge of irritation in his voice, as the angel had feared. _What kind of request?_

The angel frowned, not looking up. He couldn't tell him his true motivation, of course. He hadn't admitted it yet to himself, he knew too well it was inconceivable. So he sought a more objective reason that could convince God.

"My job is to watch over humans", he replied warily. "To notice when and how they can endanger the world you protect. But if I don't know how they think and feel, I cannot anticipate the disasters their whims could cause."

Bhunivelze said nothing. The angel guessed he was weighing his words.

"Being my purpose to serve you with the greatest perfection, maybe I could learn more about humanity if I descended to the surface of Nova Chrysalia, master. I could observe firsthand how they think, how they act, how they feel–"

_No,_ Bhunivelze's voice cut him off. The angel winced: the hardness of his tone caught him by surprise. _God cannot give his approval to such request._

He took a moment to recover from the shock. He had never before sensed so much annoyance from God. In other circumstances, having gotten such a flat refusal, he would have admitted his answer without a single reply and he would have silently left.

But something inside him rebelled when he took in that answer meant he would never meet the young rose-haired human.

"I beg you to forgive my boldness, master…", the angel said, choosing his words carefully. "Why not? My sole purpose is to take care of the world, and without knowing the true nature of humans, I cannot perform my task with optimal efficiency–"

_I understand you reasons, my servant_, Bhunivelze spoke sternly, interrupting him again. _But God cannot grant you what you demand. You cannot walk among humans. Such circumstance would cause your downfall._

The angel repressed the urge to look up at the dark figure of God. His downfall? He knew humans weren't legit, but he was a divine being, and as such he was above them.

_In human nature darkness dwells. It makes them become chaotic, violent and unpredictable. They are dangerous even to themselves. They are chained to the whims of such darkness. We are creatures of pure, radiant, divine light, and as such we cannot walk among them, for that fact would cause us to lose the freedom we cherish._

Bhunivelze paused and the angel squinted dubiously. He knew his master had great reasons to forbidding him to leave, but still…

_Your duty is to watch over humans while staying away from them._ As if he wanted to settle the question, God spoke with particular severity. _You are an angel, a being of pure light, free from all stain, I arranged it thus. You must not expose yourself to the darkness of human hearts. Within the Ark you are safe from their selfish desires. If you want to serve God well, you shall remain pure and radiant, and such gift would be robbed from you if you merge with humans._

The angel pursed his lips. He wanted to reply, but he didn't know how. He had never replied to his master before, and he didn't quite understand why he felt the need to do so.

But then he remembered the blue eyes of the young woman, and something inside him wanted to rebel against God's prohibition.

"But, master–"

_Enough. _That was a direct order, and in that moment the scar covering his left eye burned like a red-hot iron against his skin. The angel stifled a gasp and ruffled the feathers of his wings briefly before folding them submissively: the reminder that he was a servant of God, and that he wasn't allowed to retort. _God has already answered your request. This audience is over. Now return to the Ark and continue your transcendent duties as you are commanded to do._

The angel, who had taken a hand to the scar, couldn't reply. An intense golden light emanated from Bhunivelze's shadowy body, completely blinding him and draining his forces away. He felt as if he were driven by a strong wind.

When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor of the Ark, facing the magic sphere, his brand of servitude still giving him painful twinges.

He sat up slowly, using his wings for balance. He moved to the sphere, and reached for it to summon the image of the young woman. He stared at her for a long time, feeling insecure and fascinated at the same time.

He knew humans were dangerous. He had been watching them for centuries. And he knew how dangerous was to challenge the will of his master.

But now, as he spread his fingers cautiously toward the face of the woman, he decided to take the risk.

_"__I want to find out for myself. I need to know who you are."_


	3. Medium

**A/N:**_ And here it is the second chapter! After this one, things will start to make sense. And the story will begin to get interesting. Well, I hope so, anyway!_

* * *

_**Wings of Light**_

* * *

**| II |**

**Medium**

* * *

Despite Bhunivelze's refusal to his request of descending to Nova Chrysalia, the angel wasn't going to give up so easily. He needed to get somehow to the young pink-haired woman. He had already assumed he wouldn't be able to rest in peace if he didn't.

The simple idea of disobeying the orders of his master made him really nervous. Since his meeting with God, his brand of servitude had been painfully stinging. He wasn't sure if it was because he planned to disobey him or it was Bhunivelze's way to warn him not to.

The angel walked around the magic sphere, lost in thought, his huge white wings gently beating the air. He observed the image of the woman as he thought how he could find a way to reach her… He had never left the Ark before, and therefore he had no idea about how he could descend.

_"I need a link to someone on the surface"_, the angel thought, weighing his options. _"Someone who can guide me."_

That simple deduction gave him an idea. Perhaps it could work… It was crazy, but it might be his only chance.

In Nova Chrysalia, the highest authority was the Order of Salvation, a religious group that worshiped almighty Bhunivelze, whose head was the High Priestess. They had been leading the destiny of its people for long centuries in the name of God from the capital of the world.

Although they said they knew what Bhunivelze wanted, the truth is that only one person could transmit his will: the medium of the Order, who everyone knew as the holy saint.

Throughout the centuries there had been many mediums. The angel was the one who had contacted them all to tell them the will of God. The current holy saint was a human girl whose name was Vanille Dia.

The angel sighed. He didn't like having to pin his hopes on a human, but he had no choice. If he didn't, perhaps he could never know who was the woman who captivated him in that way.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, and spread his wings. He guided his mind to the surface, looking for Vanille Dia's consciousness. It took a long time for the connection to work both ways; things like that reassured him in his opinion about the boundaries of human minds.

"Sacred one", the angel murmured once he was sure the medium was listening.

_'My humblest greetings, messenger of God'_, the telepathic voice of young Vanille spoke. _'Please tell me which divine message you want me to convey to the Order.'_

"…", the angel hesitated. He didn't know if he should tell her that wasn't exactly a message from Bhunivelze. "I am not bringing a message this time, sacred one. Certain information the Order can provide is required."

Vanille took a while to answer. The angel guessed she was surprised at his words. He had never done before a request to a medium.

_'The will of God is our command'_, she finally said. _'Which is the information he needs?'_

"There is a woman who lives near your great capital", the angel said once he mustered the courage to take the plunge. "She has rose-colored hair and blue eyes. The information required… is about this girl. Everything you can provide."

_'A young rose-haired, blue-eyed woman…'_, the holy saint repeated. '_As you wish, messenger of God. I will contact you once we have the information you require.'_

"I will wait for your answer", the angel said, and with these words he cut the communication.

He stretched, straightening his wings. His brand of servitude stung more than before, a silent warning from his master.

But there was no turning back. He had made a decision, the first one in his long existence. And despite his uncertainty, he was willing to walk this path until the end.

* * *

He didn't have to wait long until Vanille Dia contacted him again. The angel spent those hours staring at the image of the woman, impatiently awaiting the news from the holy saint. And he felt a little scared about his own impatience.

Servants of God couldn't feel emotions, and yet he was experiencing some sensations he wasn't able to recognize since the very moment his eyes first met the icy ones of the woman.

_'Messenger of God'_, Vanille said._ 'I have your requested information about this woman.'_

"You may speak", the angel replied, trying to hide the anticipation in his voice.

_'There are two rose-haired women with blue eyes that match your description. They are sisters, and they live on the outskirts of the capital. One of them has a fiancée. I cannot give you more information, because it is part of the discretion policy of the Order.'_

The angel winced when he heard that one of the two sisters was engaged. Could that one be the woman he had spent so much time observing? He felt a twinge of pain, and the consequent fear that overcame him whenever he experienced a new sensation.

"You don't know anything more about them, sacred one?"

_'This information is confidential, messenger of God. Even if I wanted to tell you, I am not allowed to without the consent of the High Priestess.'_

The angel frowned. The High Priestess of the Order was the highest authority among the human followers of Bhunivelze. If he required her help, he would be lying about God's will. It wasn't the same not telling the whole truth to the medium and outright lying to the High Priestess.

_'Is there anything else I must do, messenger of God?'_, Vanille's voice interrupted his train of thought. Frustrated, the angel almost told her it wasn't. But then he had an idea. A crazy, mad idea.

Vanille Dia was a medium, a spiritual guide. He had come to her at first with the intention of finding out everything he could about the young woman, and perhaps then he could leave behind his growing curiosity. So he wouldn't have to turn against his master's will.

But now he had all the information the Order allowed him to gather without crossing the line. And his curiosity was far from satisfied.

He bit his lower lip. Was it worth disobeying Bhunivelze's orders just for a human woman he didn't even know?

Then he remembered her blue eyes, her strong though fragile demeanor, and he had no choice but admit he wouldn't rest until he found out who she was.

"Sacred one", the angel murmured, after taking a deep breath. "There is actually something I want to ask you, if you are able to do it."

She gave off a brief feeling of surprise.

_'What is it?'_

"You are a medium. You can guide spirits to different realms", the angel made a pause, unsure, before going on. "I would ask you if you could guide me… into the mortal realm."

Vanille was slow to react, but the angel felt her astonishment. It was obvious she didn't expect at all his request.

_'You want me to guide you, messenger of God?'_

"Yes. There is something I must do on your realm… and I think you are the only one able to do this, sacred one."

_'But…'_, Vanille's voice sounded unsure. _'Messenger of God, it would be a great honor for me, but I have never before performed a transition for a divine being. Are you really sure I could do it?'_

The angel frowned, hesitantly. Vanille was right, a transition for spirits was different from one for beings like him. But she was the only one who had a chance to carry it out.

"Only you can do this, sacred one", his voice briefly sounded as if he was pleading. "Please try it."

Vanille hesitated, but perhaps the need in the angel's voice made her decide.

_'As you wish… Please focus on the place you want to transcend, and open your mind to mine. I am tending a bridge to you.'_

The angel obeyed. He spread his wings while putting down the walls of his consciousness, allowing the mind of the holy saint to delve into his and form a connection between both realms.

_'__The home of the woman"_, the angel thought with all his might when he began to feel Vanille's mind pulling his. _"Wherever she is, I must descend there."_

But something was wrong. He felt the holy saint's consciousness pulling stronger each time, but it was as if something blocked his transition. Suddenly, his brand of servitude started to burn, forcing him to suppress a cry of pain. The angel remembered he couldn't leave the Ark, and maybe it wasn't just an order, but some kind of magic ban.

_"No! I cannot turn back now"_, the angel tried desperately to cling to the link Vanille had stretched between both realms. He struggled with all his might against the blockade, trying to shatter it. _"I have to meet her. I need to know who she is. I have to_–_"__  
_

It was as if an explosion of light broke out behind his eyelids. The intense pain of his scar became unbearable, and then he felt as if his back was torn up, as if his very flesh was ripped away.

The angel couldn't help it. He let out a pained scream.

And then everything went dark.


	4. Outsider

**A/N:** _And here I come with the third chapter! But before it, I'd want to say I'm very grateful for your reviews. Answering the two last ones, yes, there's a good reason our little angel here feels drawn to Lightning, but of course I'm not gonna spoil you why! And about the other one, remember that our angel here has been watching over the world for centuries, and in this story people die and all from old age. It's Nova Chrysalia, but an AU-ish one. ;)_

_I'd also like to say, I start class at university today and this is the last month before our finals -though finals in Arts are different, but we still have to work a lot for projects- and thus I won't be able to update daily. But I'll be writing as much as I can in my free time so I'm guessing I can have a chapter written in about two days._

_This being said, let us begin!_

* * *

_**Wings of Light**_

* * *

**| III |**

**Outsider**

* * *

Darkness. Cold. Pain.

In the recent weeks, the angel had felt many unfamiliar sensations. But he had never before experienced such _physical_ ones.

He couldn't see anything, darkness surrounded him, so suffocating. It was as if his eyes were failing him, maybe he even had no strength left to open them and he didn't know, or he really was lost in the deepest void.

He felt his skin getting increasingly wet, his hair sticking to his forehead and neck because of this. He felt the coldness of the hard, rough ground beneath him. The whipping wind chilling his whole being.

But above all this, he felt pain. His brand of servitude burned as it had never before, but this paled in comparison to the horrible pain in his back. It was completely numb, he couldn't feel it. When he tried to beat his wings, the muscles didn't respond. Just trying to flex them caused him indescribable pain. As if his skin was tearing up. But he hadn't any strength left to cry out.

The angel's consciousness was fading, struck by pain, cold and darkness. For the first time in his life, he felt panic. He tried to cling to life, but his survival instinct had never before felt the urge to kick in. Now, he didn't know what to do.

He was lost, alone and confused. He couldn't move. He could only stay there, lying on the ground, and pray for a miracle.

For something that would bring light back to him.

* * *

"What a storm!", young Serah commented, looking out the window from the couch. "Luckily for us, we all came home before it started."

"And even if had started while we were coming back, you wouldn't have had to fear anything. Under my coat there's room for both", Snow said giving her a wink. Serah giggled, and she snuggled against him.

Lightning sighed, rolling her eyes and looking away from her sister and her fiancée. They were engaged for about a year, but she still didn't quite assume it, much less feeling sure about Snow Villiers being the perfect future husband for her dear little sister.

She shook her head. She knew she wasn't being entirely fair: Snow was a good man, and he also had a nice position in society, being one of the senior officials that ruled the city of Yusnaan. He had all means to take good care of Serah and ensuring her a life without issues, and she also knew he loved her dearly. But his somewhat absurd optimism greatly annoyed her.

It wasn't the only thing about Snow that got her on her nerves, though. There were more reasons, but the main one was that she didn't want to let her sister go. She was her only family, and once she got married she would be alone. She couldn't help but inwardly curse Snow for taking her sister away from her.

The brutal rumble of a thunder interrupted her thoughts, and it was immediately followed by an intense flash that lasted for several seconds before fading away. Serah cried out, Snow almost fell of the couch, and Lightning, startled, straightened wishing she had her sword in hand.

"Was that… a lightning bolt?", Serah muttered, still scared, after long moments of silence.

"Seems so…", Snow whistled. "But dammit, if it wasn't a hell of one."

"Cut the crap", Lightning snapped at him, still on alert. "Do you really think that was a normal lightning bolt, Snow?"

Snow gave her a questioning look, and he shrugged.

"Well, sis, what else could it be?"

"I'm not your sister", Lightning replied, annoyed. Serah chuckled, but she said nothing. She was well aware her older sister didn't like her fiancée too much.

Lightning went to the door, her body in tension. That flash could've perfectly been a lightning bolt, and a very strong one judging by the sound that had caused. Who knew if it could have brought down any tree near their home. Maybe it was nothing, but her instinct urged her to check it out.

"Lightning!", Serah called her from behind Snow. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to check everything's alright", she soothed her with a wave of her hand. "Just give me a second."

"You're gonna get drenched", Snow warned somewhat jokingly. Lightning ignored him and kept walking toward the door. She opened it cautiously, peering into the doorway. It was raining heavily and she'd rather not get dripping wet and therefore make Snow right.

She looked right and left, frowning. It was night-time and she couldn't see much, but it seemed nothing was wrong. She nodded to herself, relieved, and proceeded to get into the house again.

That's when another lightning bolt lit up the sky and the surroundings for a second. And Lightning saw it for a brief moment, and her heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't got to identify what it was, but she had seen a dark shape lying on the stone floor, about fifteen feet from the door. A human-looking shape.

Alarmed, Lightning hesitated before running toward it. She almost immediately got completely soaked, but she didn't care. She had to be sure of what she had just seen.

When she reached its side, she'd have rather not ever known.

There was a young man on his middle-twenties at her feet, lying face down, whose silver hair fell in dirty, soaked bangs over his forehead and stuck to his neck. He was very lean and his skin was so pale Lightning feared he was dead before she noticed he still breathed. Something that looked like purple silk covered the lower part of his body and stripes of it wrapped his arms and ankles.

But the most terrible of all this were the two horrifying wounds the young man bore between his shoulder blades. They were bleeding profusely, covering his back in scarlet and staining with red the puddles around him. As she knelt beside him to check how bad they were, Lightning felt sick with horror. Those wounds weren't normal: it was as if someone mercilessly ripped his flesh away, exposing the muscular fibers.

_"__I have to do something right now"_, Lightning looked up in horror, instinctively looking around for help. But at that late hour and under such a storm, the streets were empty.

"Lightning!", she heard Serah shouting behind her; the young woman turned her head and saw her and Snow leaning out the door looking concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I need help!", Lightning replied, her voice tinged with urgency. "Snow, come here now! Hurry!"

Snow frowned, puzzled, but Lightning's tone brooked no argument. He briefly patted Serah's shoulder before running toward her older sister. When he reached her and saw the injured young man, he gasped, his face showing the same horrified expression that had swallowed Lightning the first time she saw his wounds.

"What the hell…?!", he immediately kneeled to examine him closely. "Please don't tell me he's…!"

"He's alive, but he's barely breathing, and he's losing a lot of blood", Lightning cut him, regaining her practical mind after overcoming the shock. "Help me get him inside, Snow. We have to stop the bleeding."

"You sure we should move him?", Snow couldn't keep his eyes away from the terrible wounds of the young man. "Have you seen how battered he is?"

"Either that, or we leave him here under the rain and bleeding out, what do you think it's worse?", she sharply replied. Snow ran a hand through his hair and nodded after a second.

Lightning helped Snow to carefully lift the limp body of the young man to prevent any trouble. He was much lighter than they had thought, and stout Snow had no problem to carry him inside the house, closely followed by Lightning.

Serah, who was waiting at the door, let out a horrified cry when she first saw the pale and bloodied young man in Snow's arms.

"For the love of all that's good", her voice seemed to choke when she laid her eyes on his wounds. "How…"

"Save it for later", Lightning closed the door behind her, and ran upstairs. "Snow, take him into my room; Serah, try to heal those wounds with your magic as much as you can. I'll get the bandages and some disinfectant."

Serah nodded, trembling and teary-eyed, and she followed Snow down the hallway. As she went upstairs to the bathroom, Lightning couldn't help but think about that strange young man. What would have happened to him to end up that brutally wounded? Why was he there, in front of their house?

She didn't remember ever seeing him around the district. And judging by his looks, it was clear as water he wasn't from the surroundings, not even from the capital.

Lightning brushed the soaked bangs of rose-colored hair away from her icy-blue eyes, and shook her head to cast those questions that were forming in her mind aside. There would be time later to ask them to the young outsider himself.

_"__And for that"_, the young woman thought while taking some thick bandages from the drawers of the bathroom and rushing down the stairs, _"we have to ensure that you'll be able to answer us later."_


	5. Friend

**A/N:** _I'm leaving fourth chapter here since tomorrow morning I'll be away and I don't know when I'll get home, so there you go! I'd also want to say, I was wrong about when I'm starting my classes again because it's next week. So for this week I hope you'll have a daily chapter! But what I said will start to apply once I begin my classes._

_As always, I'm so grateful for all your reviews! I'll do my best to make your read as much enjoyable as possible! ;)_

* * *

**_Wings of Light_**

* * *

**| IV |**

**Friend**

* * *

"Your face's screaming you haven't got enough sleep, sunshine", Fang commented when she noticed the dark circles around Lightning's eyes. "And it's been for three days now. May I know what have you been up to?"

Lightning sighed, exhausted. Stress and tension began to appear in her face after what happened the stormy night of three days ago.

"You don't want to know", she muttered, leaning against the wall. "It's sheer madness."

"Well, it's obvious enough you need a shoulder to cry on, don't ya?"

"I don't cry", Lightning replied getting a bit defensive. Fang laughed, as she did whenever the young woman tried to put on the tough façade. She always had tried to look much stronger and colder than she actually was. Even though Lightning had never given anyone any proof of her inner feelings, Fang was sure she was right about her theories.

"C'mon, spit it out. It's that jerk of a fiancée your sister has, right? What's he done this time?, besides getting her on a free ride on bed, of course."

"It has nothing to do with Snow. Which it's actually news", Lightning frowned, and she grimaced in disgust. "And please, Fang, stop saying stuff like that about my sister, would you?"

Fang shrugged, as if to say, 'it is what it is'.

"Then I'm lost, sunshine. I can't think of any other thing that could give Miss Stoic Lightning these headaches and swollen eyes."

Lightning growled, thrusting her sword into the ground absently. She didn't know if telling Fang about it, but she was her only true friend after all, and perhaps she was right and she needed to vent it.

"You're gonna have a hard time to believe it."

"Talk first, girl, then I'll decide if I believe ya."

* * *

"How is he?", Lightning had asked after running down the stairs from the bathroom and entering hastily in her bedroom with the bandages in her hands.

Serah and Snow had laid the young man on her bed, face down. Snow watched in dismay his tearful fiancée, whose hands, barely touching the brutal wounds on the bare back of the outsider, gave off a soft bluish glow.

"He's still alive", Snow replied, shaking his head, "but I'm not sure he's gonna live through this. At least, it seems that Serah has managed to stop the bleeding a bit…"

Lightning went to her sister, worried. Serah was the best medic of the three, and it certainly seemed her Cure spells were working. But the wounds were still bleeding.

"We have to bandage his back as soon as possible", the young woman put a hand on Serah's shoulder. "Keep trying to heal him while Snow and I bandage him, Serah."

"I'll do my best", she said as she nodded, her voice breaking. Snow came closer to them, he sat on the edge of the bed and lifted as carefully as he could the limp body of the young man for Lightning to bandage his torso.

_"He's so cold"_, she thought wrinkling her nose as her fingers brushed against his pale skin. _"It's almost as if he has no blood in his veins."_

Although the thought wasn't exactly wrong considering his situation, Lightning knew what she meant. It was strange, that highly low body temperature. She would've said it wasn't _human_.

She covered with tight bandages the young man's torso, so that the pressure prevented as much as possible the bleeding. When she finally finished, Snow laid him again on the bed and Serah lowered her hands, exhausted.

"Do you think he'll be fine?", she asked, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She had always been very affected by watching other people suffer.

"I don't know. We'll have to take care of him", Lightning replied, crossing her arms. The thought didn't please her very much. Taking care of Serah was one thing, but of an outsider?

_"So far he has managed to get my bed"_, she thought, and she repressed an annoyed snort.

"We can take turns to look after him", Snow suggested scratching his neck. "I can take care of him tonight, okay?"

"No", Lightning cut him. "You're leaving to Yusnaan tomorrow morning, and this is my bedroom and you're not going to stay here. And Serah, you've already done too much for today. I'll do this by myself."

"But Lightning, you have to get up early tomorrow too", Serah protested. Lightning shook her head.

"I'll survive."

And yes, she had survived. But she almost hadn't sleep for three nights, sleeping on the couch in her bedroom, while the young outsider laid convalescing in her bed, still unconscious.

* * *

"Let's see if I got this", Fang leaned on her spear, frowning. "You found a guy about to kiss his life goodbye lying on the ground in front of your house under that flood the other day?"

"Yeah, you got it", Lightning stifled a yawn, her tone a bit ironic.

Fang whistled, shaking her head. She ran a hand through her messy black hair, processing the startling news.

"And he's been unconscious all that time? He hasn't eaten or drunk anything, and he's still alive?"

"Seems so. He's so skinny, and he looks as if he's never been under the sunlight", Lightning said. She was intrigued by this: she would've never thought the young man would have the stamina to survive those wounds without eating or drinking anything, and yet he hadn't got worse. "Serah heals him every time she comes home for a while, but that doesn't explain how the hell he's not a corpse by now."

A scathing laughter erupted from Fang's throat. The young dragoon looked quite intrigued about the story Lightning was telling her.

"Indeed I'd have to see it to believe this. 'Cause, ya see, judging by what're you telling me, I'm about to think this kid isn't human."

"That doesn't make any sense", Lightning frowned. "Sure, he's so weird, but he looks human to me. I mean, he doesn't look like a monster."

"Weirder things have happened. And I tell ya, I'm an expert on supernatural stuff."

Lightning looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You? You're one of those people that when something unusual happens stab first and then ask."

"I do, but it comes with being close with Vanille. I've swallowed a lot of spirit stories and crap like that twice as weird as the one you're telling me now", Fang shrugged.

"Oh, right…", Lightning muttered, looking away. Because of Fang's personal circumstances, it was hard for her to choose the appropriate words whenever Vanille was mentioned. "How is she doing? It's been a long time since the last time you told me about her."

"Well, she's the same as always. Locked away in the Cathedral and with no company but her spirits and I, when they let me see her", Fang snorted, clearly irritated, and let out a brief laugh. "The Order will end up making her lose her mind with all that God's will nonsense. She was hysterical two days ago, ya see."

"How so?"

"You should have seen her! She said the angel messenger of God that commands his will to the mediums asked her to guide him in a spiritual transition or something like that to come to our realm. And according to her, something went really bad. In other words, she thinks she's killed the very angel of Bhunivelze", Fang laughed again, with a hint of exasperation. "What to hear! Though who knows, maybe it's true she killed him and made a favor to us all", she added, winking at Lightning.

"I agree", the young woman said. Her voice became a bit cold. "But I don't think we'll ever be that lucky."

"Neither do I, sadly for us. Well", Fang put her spear on her shoulder and stepped away from the wall, "it's getting late and your shift is over. I'm gonna try to beg to those priests they let me meet Vanille tonight. And you better rest up, or tomorrow I'll make you run around Luxerion a thousand times as a warm-up session."

Lightning gave her a wry half-smile.

"Okay. Got it, Captain Yun."

Fang patted her on her shoulder, and walked away towards the Cathedral. Lightning leaned against the wall a couple more minutes, thoughtfully, before she began to walk the way back home.

_"And now I have to spend another night taking care of him"_, she thought, annoyed, sheathing her sword.

The truth was that her chat with Fang relieved her stress. And it had been also good for her to share her doubts with her about the mysterious young man. She had no intention of letting Serah think she couldn't bear the whole burden by herself.

As she walked, she thought about what Fang said about Vanille. It had to be awfully hard for her best friend to see how the Order was using her girlfriend to enact the laws they wanted in the name of God. Laws that were told to be communicated via the angel who served Bhunivelze.

It seemed that Vanille attempted to perform a transition for this angel, with dire consequences. Lightning chuckled.

_"The truth is that Fang's right. Vanille would've done a great favor to all of us if she killed him."_

And that's when the two thoughts she had in mind at the moment crossed over, making her stop right on her tracks.

The angel servant of God who had asked the holy saint to help him descend into their realm. The dying young man that appeared in front of her house three days ago.

She remembered the two horrible wounds on the back of the young man. How their position was in perfect parallel, one on each shoulder blade.

When she realized what it meant, Lightning's heart skipped a beat. Her face lost all trace of color in her shock.

_"It can't be."_

She recalled Fang's words, about that the way she described him to her, he didn't look human. And she remembered the surprisingly low temperature of his body, and all those strange quirks of his recovery.

The pieces fit perfectly, and yet the simple idea still seemed absolute madness to Lightning.

And besides her shock and disbelief, she felt boiling anger inside her.

_"The outsider who's lying half-dead in my house… he's the angel of God?"_


	6. Fallen

**A/N: **_Well, yesterday I couldn't write anything because I was kinda brain dead, so I'm bringing this one to you today! These chapters are actually easy to write, I wonder it's because I'm forcing myself to write in a way I don't lose much time with descriptions and all. But if you have any suggestions or critiques, please don't hesitate to tell me! Any review is more than welcome. ;)_

* * *

**_Wings of Light_**

* * *

**| V |**

**Fallen**

* * *

"An angel?", Serah repeated, her eyes wide and her hands covering her mouth.

Lightning sharply nodded.

"But not just 'an' angel. He's God's angel!", furious, she pointed her sword at the young man lying unconscious in her bed. "Do you realize what kind of creature we've been keeping in our house?"

"But, Lightning…", Serah glanced hesitantly at the young man, both awed and fearful. "Are you… are you sure he is?"

"Everything makes sense, Serah. Each one of the damn pieces of the puzzle", Lightning clutched the hilt of her sword, clenching her teeth, and raised it against him. "If I only had known… I would have left him bleeding out in the street with no doubt!"

"Sis!", the voice of her sister was severe. She stepped between her sister and the young man, and Lightning looked at her with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "Leave him alone!"

"So now you want to protect him? You know as well as I do how dangerous he is and how much harm he has caused us all!"

Serah frowned, but she briefly glanced at him. She looked doubtful.

"I know, more than anyone. But… you can't kill him, Lightning."

"Oh, can't I?", Lightning frowned. "Why not?"

Her sister looked up. Her blue eyes were bright with seriousness.

"Look at him. He's half dead, and since he's been here he hasn't done anything against us. I refuse to kill a creature so badly injured."

"He hasn't done anything because he's unconscious", Lightning replied. "He's nothing more than a servant of God, Serah. It goes against our principles to shelter a being like him in our house!"

"I don't care", Serah shook her head. "Do as you consider, sis, but I won't raise my weapon against him unless I hear his side of the story. Taking away innocent lives without the chance of defend themselves would take me to the Order's level. And you as well."

Her sister's words made Lightning hesitate. She had been more than willing to stab her sword into the young man's heart, and actually it had been her intention once she got home. But Serah was right. Doing that would lower her to the Order's level, and before that she'd rather have the angel of God as a host in her house… at least, for now.

"… Right", Lightning sheathed her sword slowly, still glaring at the young man. "I won't kill him, for now."

Serah nodded and half-smiled. Lightning knew she was proud. She was a warrior and she was used instinctively to eliminate anything that could threaten her sister. But Serah insisted she also had to learn to listen, and not raising a wall around her heart in order to protect her.

"I'm not going to ask you to look after him", Serah muttered. "I can do it myself. I know you don't want to."

Lightning squinted. No, she didn't want to, of course not. Her? Taking care of the angel of God? The simple idea was disgusting. But if she didn't, Serah would stay home and she couldn't go to work. And Serah's work was one of the things that would allow her to keep going forward… alive.

"No, I'll do it. You must continue with your life", the young woman replied, shaking her head. "You can't ruin everything now that we've made progress."

Serah looked down a bit sadly, and absently rubbed her left forearm. She said nothing, but Lightning knew she felt guilty for causing her trouble.

"Don't even mention it", she said, forcing a half-smile. "Nothing is more important than your recovery, Serah. If I have to take care of this damn angel, I will. But I'll only do it for you."

Serah smiled back, though somewhat sorrowfully.

"Thanks, sis… But, you know, it's also nice to do good things for everyone else."

* * *

_"__I can't believe I'm doing this"_, Lightning thought later, as she changed the moist, bloodied bandages of the young man. She threw the old ones to the trash can and before casting a Cure spell on his wounds she cleaned them with a cloth soaked with disinfectant potions.

She took the chance to examine more closely those horrifying wounds. She didn't know much about angels, and she wasn't sure yet that young man was one. In popular tales, fal'Cie were sometimes called angels, even though they were minor deities. And fal'Cie looked anything but human.

But some powerful fal'Cie could take on human forms, which were usually winged. And it was said the fal'Cie goddess Etro, daughter of Bhunivelze, had feathered wings herself.

Lightning wondered if it was any difference between a fal'Cie in angel form and a true angel. The shapes fal'Cie took on were mere illusions, after all. They didn't have wings, despite how real they might appear.

But every time she was more certain that those two wounds were all what remained from two brutally ripped off wings.

Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel shivers just by thinking about it. No matter how much animosity she felt towards the angel of God, it was horrible to imagine who would be cruel enough to do such thing. One thing was killing him quickly, no suffering, just stabbing his heart; ripping his wings off and leaving him to his fate bleeding out to death was quite another.

Without wings, he certainly didn't look like an angel. He rather seemed a thin, deathly pale human to her. Lightning wondered if he would really be an angel, even though everything pointed to it. Because he wasn't half as magnificent as the Order made look the great holy messenger of Bhunivelze.

She sighed in frustration. Honestly, she couldn't be sure of anything until the young man regained consciousness and was able to answer her questions. If it turned out he was the angel, she didn't know what to do. She knew Serah wouldn't let her kill him, at least not while he was convalescent.

But if he was wingless now, what would happen to him? Could he return… to the _heavens_, or wherever he lived? Would God give back his wings to him?

_"__Now that I think about it, if he's his servant…"_, she frowned, picking up the clean bandages. _"Shouldn't Bhunivelze have done something? If he commanded him to descend to our realm and something went wrong or someone attacked him, shouldn't he have healed his servant?"_

The idea was… weird. Lightning shook her head, trying to push aside those thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to sympathize with him, but she couldn't help feeling a little sorry.

She carefully bandaged the young man's torso, trying to not worsen the wounds that still bled despite three full days had passed, though thankfully much less abundantly. As a warrior, Lightning knew that kind of wound, which certainly would've seriously damaged muscle tissue, took a long time to heal completely.

That's when she felt him moving. It was only a moment, but Lightning stopped her hands, startled. She was sure she hadn't imagined it.

She stared at his pale face, looking for any sign that could indicate that he was indeed starting to react. It was a bit hard to do in the dimness, but then she noticed his eyelids slightly quivered.

"Ngh…", that sound escaped, barely audible, from his lips. Lightning waited in tension, not sure about what she should do. And as weakly as a sigh, the young man managed to whisper, "… Who… are you…"

Surprised, Lightning looked up and found out his eyelids had parted, just a crack, which closed the next second.

"Hey…!", the young woman got to say, maybe trying to wake up him. But he had already lost consciousness again, not before though whispering in his delirium, his voice tinged with fear and confusion:

"… My wings… they are failing me…"

Those words left Lightning breathless. She wasn't wrong. That young man was truly the angel of God.

She stared at him. On one hand she hated him furiously, but in the other one… he really was helpless, and she wasn't able to raise her sword against him after hearing his voice so weak and confused.

_"__Is he aware he's lost his wings?"_, she wondered. And she also wondered what would mean for an angel to lose his wings. He was like a bird with broken wings now. He had lost everything he was and had no place in that world.

Lightning didn't want to pity him. But she had read fear in his eyes in that fleeting second.

She snorted and forced herself to finish bandaging his torso without thinking of anything else. He had managed to make her lose the will to kill him. But he had increased the will to get him away from her sight.

_"__Damn fallen angel"_, she thought in irritation, holding back the urge to punch him before lying on the small couch of her bedroom. _"You better wake up soon and go away before you make me lose even more stuff."_


	7. Hope

**A/N: **_Here it is, the sixth chapter! This one is longer than usual and this is why it took longer to write. But I really wanted to finish it because for now it's one of my favorites. But first of all, I'm grateful for the new reviews! You know that if you have any doubt, question or critique, I'm very glad to read them! ;D_

* * *

**_Wings of Light_**

* * *

**| VI |**

**Hope**

* * *

_You have disobeyed my command, my servant._

Bhunivelze's voice was his first sensation in… how long? He couldn't be sure. The last thing he remembered was darkness, cold and pain.

_You descended to the mortal realm despite the will of God. But you are an angel and you cannot walk among them as such. Therefore the Ark removed your wings._

He panicked at hearing that. He lost his wings? Was that why he couldn't beat them? If it was true, he was stuck to the ground, unable to fly free anymore.

_I could get you back to the place you belong. But your disobedience deserves a fair punishment. Your wings shall grow back, but while your wounds heal, you shall walk among humans without being one of their kind, neither an angel._

He couldn't help but tremble briefly. He wanted to talk, maybe beg to his master… but he couldn't speak nor move.

_Your wounds shall take time to heal, thus is my will, so your punishment shall be appropriate. The darkness of humans shall show you why you must not walk among them. You shall not belong to them nor the divine while you have no wings. You shall be alone._

The voice of God was fading away, and the darkness became denser. He didn't want it to engulf him. But he couldn't move, he was chained down.

_Now, my servant, face the consequences of your disobedience._

* * *

"So… are you really an angel?", Serah asked looking at the young man with fear and fascination. "And you lost your wings because you disobeyed God's orders?"

He nodded making an effort. Several days had passed since the night in which he had reacted for the first time, and during them he had been regaining consciousness at times. Finally, the previous day he managed to stay awake for hours, and Lightning and Serah considered he was able at least to answer the questions they wanted to ask him for a long time.

That morning, God had spoken to him in a dream and told him his punishment. Seeing him shaking in dreams, Lightning had awakened him in a not too much gentle way. When she asked for an explanation, the young man had finally agreed to talk with the Farron sisters.

He answered their questions about who he was and how he got there. He didn't tell them about what Bhunivelze had told him because they didn't ask, and he didn't think they had to know. But he told them his current situation was due to the fact he disobeyed his command.

Not that he was very aware of the conversation itself. He was still assuming that he had lost his wings and he was trapped in the world of humans, those chaotic and violent beings.

At least he ended up where he wanted to, he thought as he shyly looked up at Lightning. Two days after his first reaction, he managed to regain consciousness for a few minutes and recognized her when she was cleaning his wounds. Despite his condition, he got so nervous and startled he tried to get away from her. Lightning tried to calm him down, something she managed by telling him her name, since he weakly asked her.

He met Serah the next day. Sure, she was a lot nicer to him than her sister. Lightning was who looked after him, but the angel felt her reluctance. He felt her negativity towards him, and he didn't know why. And strangely enough, it affected him. He felt Serah's fear, and yet he didn't care about it as much as he did about Lightning's animosity.

Of course, after all, he descended to the mortal realm trying to find out who she was, and it had cost him his wings and God's punishment. And all this for her to hate him for some unknown reason.

"You're Bhunivelze's servant", Lightning said curtly. Unlike Serah, she was leaning against the wall, a few steps away from them. "You expect us to believe you betrayed him?"

"I cannot lie to you", he replied after taking a deep breath; he found so hard to say more than three words in a row, but at least he could now hold a conversation. "I am an angel… I am not allowed to lie."

"But you've managed to lie to Bhunivelze."

The angel frowned slightly. Lightning and Serah had already noticed he wasn't precisely expressive. In fact, with his extremely pale skin and his lack of expression, he rather looked like a marble statue.

"I didn't lie. I only acted on my own."

Lightning didn't look convinced, but she said nothing. She simply glared at him and shifted her weight from one leg to another.

"But what I don't understand…", Serah began hesitantly. "I mean, look at you. You didn't know what would happen to you, right? Because you've paid a high price for descending without his permission. Why did you do it?"

The angel hesitated. He couldn't answer that question, let alone when Lightning was there. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and noticed her hard stare. If he dared to tell them, he was sure she would kill him. And besides, it wouldn't benefit her at all to know.

As an angel, he couldn't lie. But he could not tell them all the truth.

"… I wanted to better understand mankind", he muttered. "My mission is to watch over all of your kind. But I cannot protect you without understanding how you think and feel."

Lightning and Serah looked briefly at each other. The angel felt their bewilderment.

"Protect us?", Lightning's voice was so sharp that he momentarily flinched. "You're the one who ruined our lives. You're the one who tells the Order how they have to tyrannize us!"

"Sis!", Serah said, warningly.

He took a deep breath, still a bit intimidated. He kept wondering why he reacted that way when it came to Lightning, because Serah hardly could get an… _emotional _answer, perhaps?

"I am God's servant… As such, I must obey him. I never questioned his will because I cannot… The only reason for my existence is to serve him. I am not allowed to agree or not."

Lightning huffed dismissively, but Serah looked genuinely sad.

"That's horrible… How could you bear it?"

"You are human", the angel said as if that were enough explanation. "Your free will prevents you from understanding the peace of such a simple existence."

"Tsk…", Lightning glared at him. "An existence in which you're bound and chained to the whims of your master? I think I understand now why the Order acts as they do. That's the ideal of your god, isn't it? To make us become creatures as pathetic as you?"

"Sis! That's enough!", Serah scolded her. The angel said nothing, but looked down upon hearing the young woman's harsh words. "It's not his fault to be what he is!"

"Is it not, now? Angel or not, he could've left Bhunivelze if he wanted to!"

"I cannot rebel against him", the angel said then. "Unlike you humans, I have no free will… His will is my will."

"And yet…", Serah noted, "you disobeyed him when you descended to our realm."

Lightning squinted at him questioningly, and the angel was silent for a long moment, processing what Serah had just said.

"Yes", he finally said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I did."

"How is that even possible?", Lightning said. "If you can't make your own decisions, how could you rebel against his orders?"

"… I don't know", he answered, absolutely sincere, looking up at her with his eyes wider than usual. He looked genuinely puzzled.

_"__He's like a lost animal"_, Lightning thought. She didn't want to pity him, but she found that difficult. She was disgusted at hearing him talk that way, like an emotionless machine without the will to decide his own path in life. But she also felt a bit sorry for him.

She observed his eyes on her. Now, at daytime and wider than usual, Lightning could appreciate their color. An unique shade of green, almost ethereal. The truth was his lean build, his marble skin and his silver hair gave him quite the ethereal vibe. She wondered what he would be like if he hadn't those bloodied bandages and he still had his wings.

She sighed and shook her head in annoyance. She had to admit that besides her hatred and anger towards him, she felt as curious as her sister. It wasn't exactly usual to have an angel in your house, even if it was a wingless one.

"What's your name?", Serah asked then. Lightning turned her head towards them with renewed interest: she hadn't come to realize they hadn't even asked the angel his name.

He looked at them blankly.

"… My… name?", he repeated, hesitant.

"Yeah, that's what we asked", Lightning growled. "Don't tell me you're both wingless and nameless."

"Sis!"

The angel tilted his head, frowning. He slightly shook his head.

"I have no name… I am God's servant, and that is my only name. I have never needed one."

Serah's eyes were filled by pity at that stage. The angel didn't quite understand why. What was what made names so interesting for them?

"Well, if you're going to stay with us humans you're gonna need one", Lightning said sharply. "Humans need to distinguish ourselves from each other by names. And without wings, you don't look that different from us."

Serah gave her a stern look before turning again to the bewildered angel.

"You sure you don't have any other name? Or any other way to refer to you… I know the Order calls you 'messenger of God', but that one doesn't count. You must have one!"

He wasn't sure if he really needed a name, but Lightning had hit the nail on the head. He was now trapped in the world of humans and he somewhat resembled them. He would have to blend to some of their quirks if he wanted to survive.

"I don't have a name as you understand it…", the angel frowned, trying to unsuccessfully think or remember anything that could help. "Very few times, God called me 'the hope of humanity' because I was the one who watched over you. But that isn't a name either according to your ways…"

"The 'hope of humanity'? How fitting", Lightning raised her eyebrows out of sarcasm. "Well, I guess that considering we don't have anything closer to what you are, we can call you Hope."

The angel looked at her, not knowing what to say, but Serah nodded after a moment, smiling.

"Hope… I like it", she said, and smiled gently to him. "I think it's a good name. What about you?"

Did he have to think anything about it? The name meant nothing to him. But he didn't dislike it, and if humans really needed to call him by name, he'd have to accept it.

And besides, it had been Lightning who had suggested it. Perhaps that was why he didn't think it sounded bad, despite her obvious sarcasm.

"… You may call me that way if you wish so", he finally said, leaning his head on the pillow, exhausted.

"Then it's settled", Serah widened her smile. "From now on, we'll call you Hope. See?, now you have a name. You'll see how you'll like to have one, I'm sure."

He said nothing, but he had his doubts. It was just a name, wasn't it? Why humans would give it so much importance?

_"__Lightning said humans need to distinguish themselves from each other…"_, he thought, closing his eyes. _"Maybe it's because, given that they are many and they are very similar, it makes them feel that somehow they are special."_

"I think he's talked a lot for now", Lightning said, stepping away from the wall. "Let's go, Serah. Let him sleep."

"You're right", her sister said, and she stood up and leaned toward him. "Rest now all as you can, Hope. We'll be back at night, okay?"

The angel nodded, without any strength left to speak. He heard Lightning's bedroom door close behind the two sisters, though he'd have sworn he felt the young woman's suspicious stare on him before she left the room.

Now he had a name. Never before he thought he would. As an angel, he didn't need a name. As far as he knew, he was the only one that existed, at least in that world. He didn't have to distinguish himself.

But now… in a way, he was special. Not in a good way, of course. He was a fallen, wingless angel, chained to a realm in which he didn't belong. He was different from humans, and from the concept of what an angel was.

And now his difference had been sealed with a name.

_"__My name is Hope."_


	8. Enemy

**A/N: **_Phew! Finally, I was able to write this chapter! I've had such a busy week, and now that finals are coming, things are gonna get worse and of course harder for me to keep writing regularly. But I'll try! This story is actually so fun to write, and if you like it, I'll do my best for not making you wait too much!_

_Of course, thanks for all the reviews! They're always so welcome!_

* * *

**_Wings of Light_**

* * *

**| VII |**

**Enemy**

* * *

"Come on", Lightning insisted, holding the bowl of stew in her hands. "Just eat it, will you?"

"I don't need it", Hope looked apprehensively at the content of the bowl, and shook his head. "I am an angel. I don't have to eat."

"Cut the crap. You haven't eaten anything for more than a week, and you're getting gaunter. No one endures so much time without eating or drinking."

Lightning had been almost half an hour trying to convince him to eat the stew. It had been two days since the sisters gave the angel a name, and in that time, Hope seemed to have regained a bit of strength to speak without so many efforts. He was still very weak and he could hardly move, but at least he already was able to sit up a bit in bed.

That morning, while Serah was casting her Cures spells on the young angel's wounds, they were startled by a strange noise that had frightened Hope in particular. Even though the angel wasn't exactly very expressive, the sisters had begun to identify his reactions. He widened his eyes a little more than usual when he heard the noise coming from inside him, and looked questioningly at them.

"… What are you doing?", he had asked Serah suspiciously, moving away a bit from her and placing a hand over his belly. She had looked at him for a moment and laughed.

"You're hungry, genius", Lightning replied when she noticed Hope's confusion. He looked at her as if she were messing with him while Serah laughed nonstop.

"Hunger is a human need… I cannot be hungry."

"Well, I'd say your stomach doesn't agree."

A couple of hours later, there was Lightning, trying to make him eat that stew. That was ridiculous. Yes, he was an angel, but Hope had the appearance of a young man on his middle-twenties. And she was trying to make him eat as if he were a kid.

Hope kept giving apprehensive glances at the bowl. Lightning couldn't understand how anyone could look that way at a stew that smelled great and tasted better, courtesy of Serah's culinary skills.

"Listen", she said, menacingly brandishing the spoon, "if you don't eat it, I'll make you swallow it myself. If you want to starve to death, I can save time for both by stabbing you with my sword. And trust me, it's not I'm not willing to do it."

The young angel looked down briefly and slightly frowned. Lightning wouldn't have been surprised if she hurt his feelings, but for some reason she felt even more annoyed at him not reacting as she expected. A normal person would have protested at the very least, but him… he was like nothing more than an empty shell. And that got the young woman on her nerves.

"What?", she snapped at his silence. "Are you going to eat or I'm gonna have to feed you by force?"

"… Am I supposed… to swallow it? …", Hope tilted his head and grimaced. Lightning began to understand what the problem was: if he had no need to eat until then, it made sense that the simple idea would be alien to him, to say the least. And judging by his question, perhaps even outright disgusting.

She sighed in annoyance. She couldn't believe she had to treat Hope like a five-year-old kid, since she was sure that as an angel he was far older. But Serah had noted, human needs and customs were a whole different world to him, so in a way, he was indeed watching the world through the inexperienced eyes of a child.

"Look", Lightning filled the spoon and brought it to her mouth, chewing slowly and exaggeratingly before swallowing the food. "It's not that hard. Now you do it, because I won't feed you as if you were a brat."

Even if he wanted to protest, Hope wouldn't have been able to, since Lightning put the bowl in his hands and glared at him, crossing her arms. In general, the angel could hold impassively the gaze of any other human, but he found it impossible when it came to Lightning.

He picked up the spoon and looked at it not so much convinced, but Lightning squinted dangerously, so he decided not to tempt fate and fill the spoon with stew. He brought it to his mouth reluctantly, and glanced hesitantly to Lightning. She nodded curtly, and Hope had to open his mouth and swallow its content, literally. He started coughing when the hot stew went down his throat.

"You idiot…", Lightning had turned away in disgust when Hope began to cough. "I told you to chew it first! How could you swallow it just like that?"

"I have told you… I didn't have to eat", Hope managed to say between coughs. "I don't know… how it is done."

Lightning handed him a glass of water, sighing in resignation.

"Drink this", she said. "It'll help you swallow it. And you don't have to chew this, you have to do what you just did with the food."

Hope couldn't reply in his situation, so he obeyed. He felt relieved when the water pushed the food down his throat and he could stop coughing.

"This is insane", he murmured, giving the glass back to Lightning. "I cannot understand how you humans can do this with the ease you do."

"Because we depend on it to stay alive. And just in case you haven't noticed, it seems you're now also included", Lightning replied, and pointed to the bowl. "Now, eat it. And chew the food first."

Hope tilted his head, looking at the bowl with more distrust than before, if possible, but he knew Lightning wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. He brought again the stew-filled spoon to his mouth, and this time he tried to chew it. It was a bit difficult for him at first since he wasn't used to that movement, but he gradually got better.

"Right", Lightning said when the young angel finished the contents of the bowl and gave it to her, and held out to him the glass of water. "Drink it all, it'll be good for your digestion."

He took it, and drank it slowly. The water made the stew's taste fade in his mouth, and he felt somewhat disappointed. He wasn't used to flavors, so he had eaten it without paying it so much attention. But now that it was fading, Hope found himself regretting it.

In that moment, Serah entered the room with a basket of laundry in her arms. She smiled broadly when she saw the empty bowl that Lightning held in her hands.

"Oh! Wow, Hope, you managed to eat it all?", Serah went to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel… strange", he said after a pause, and laid his head on the pillow, feeling suddenly tired. "It is as if I were… _full_. And I can hardly stay awake…"

"That's good", Serah smiled. "It means you're doing a good digestion. It'll be great for you to sleep for a while, you'll see."

Hope didn't answer. He had closed his eyes, and within seconds he was more asleep than awake. Serah covered his body with the blanket for him to not get cold, and picked up the laundry Lightning had left in a corner of the room.

"He's sleeping like a log", Lightning frowned. "At least when he's asleep he doesn't bother us."

"Don't be so harsh on him", Serah said, severe. "He hasn't done anything to you. Furthermore, despite the way you treat him, I think he likes you."

Lightning snorted irritably.

"Well, I don't."

"You can only hate what he represents", her sister noted, watching the asleep angel with some pity. "You still don't know what's inside him."

"There's nothing, Serah. He said it himself: his will is Bhunivelze's. He's like an empty shell that only does what he's ordered to."

Serah cocked her head and looked thoughtfully at Hope.

"That's all he's known so far. Put yourself in his place, sis… He's been serving God all his existence, and now all of a sudden his master left him and he's trapped in a world that is completely different from the one he's been living in. And on top of this, he's lost his wings… He's neither angel nor human. I can't even imagine how confused he must feel."

Although it annoyed her, Lightning had to admit that what Hope was going through wasn't exactly pleasant. But she doubted he felt anything about it. Now that he spent more time awake, his obvious lack of expressivity was obvious, both in his face and voice.

"Let's go", she told her sister to avoid that conversation, getting up from the edge of the bed. "Let him sleep."

Serah frowned, noticing the change of topic, but she nodded. Once they left the room, the two sisters went to the kitchen: Serah had made stew for more than one person, since she had to cook something for Hope before.

"Snow's coming tonight", Serah commented while having lunch, sitting at the kitchen table. Lightning briefly frowned. "He'll stay for a few days, now that there are holidays in Yusnaan."

"I didn't know there were days that aren't holidays in Yusnaan."

"Well, you know what I mean. When he's allowed to take a few free days", Serah said, smiling widely. "He'll help us to look after Hope and not mess up our own routines."

Lightning raised her eyebrows.

"Trusting Snow into Hope's care? He'd be dead in less than two days. Though, now that I think about it, it's not a bad idea."

"You're so wicked", Serah laughed. "Do you really mean it?"

"You think I don't?", Lightning looked down at her plate, her face in tension. "You know how much I want that angel to get out of my sight."

Her sister sighed.

"I can't believe I'm the only one that can sympathize with him. Both you and I know how it feels when the world fears you and wants to kill you for what you are, and not for who you are."

Serah's words left Lightning speechless for a few moments. She brought a hand to her chest instinctively, and saw that her sister did the same with her left forearm. Yes, she knew. Of course she knew. Like the people close to them.

_"__Rejected by all and living in fear of what people might do to us"_, Lightning pursed her lips. _"So we end up getting close, one way or another, because we only have each other. But this angel is all alone."_

"The Order would be delighted to shelter him", she replied, however.

"You think so?", Serah shook her head. "I wouldn't be that sure. Without wings, Hope doesn't look a lot like an angel. They'd probably kill him for being a blasphemer."

That was true. The Order would never believe that Hope was their revered angel messenger of almighty Bhunivelze. They would have to see him now, convalescent, confused and with his wings ripped off.

"I don't like having him at home", Lightning growled. "Have you told Snow what he is yet?"

"Yes. He was so stunned at first, but he says that as long he doesn't behave as an enemy, we shouldn't treat him as such."

_"__Two of a kind"_, Lightning snorted wearily. She didn't understand how Serah nor Snow could ignore the danger posed by the angel. He was a servant of God, and people like them were undesirables in Bhunivelze's eyes. Or, at least, that was what the Order preached, and what the Order said was supposed to have been transmitted via Bhunivelze's messenger, and that one was Hope.

"I'm going", the young woman said, rising from the table and putting her plate in the sink. "I'll be back for dinner."

"Where are you going?", Serah looked at her worriedly.

"To Noel's pub", she replied, avoiding looking at her sister. "I told Fang yesterday we'd meet there."

"Oh… Well, say them hi for me. And tell them I'm getting better, Noel will like to hear it."

Lightning nodded. She got ready soon and get out of the house, partly because she didn't want to take her bad mood on Serah. She was very frustrated and she didn't like it. And that damn fallen angel was to blame.

She felt divided. She wanted to kill him and the threat he represented, but then again she understood him. Perhaps she even felt a bit identified with him. Being feared and hated by most people, except for a small group.

But she at least had Serah, her friend Fang, and her other "acquaintances", for calling them in some way. Hope had no one. And Lightning was sure he was aware to some extent.

Maybe he also feared humans. She didn't know if it was due to his lack of emotions, but he gave off the impression that he closed himself as well to those around him, as she did in order to protect herself.

And yet… she remembered what Serah said. Despite her harsh treatment towards him, Hope seemed a lot more receptive with her. She wondered if perhaps Bhunivelze also treated him that way and so he was more submissive to her. She felt disgust at the thought.

She didn't want to be like Bhunivelze. Not in a million years. A being that treated his servants in such a horrible way and left them to their fate at their worst? She'd rather kill herself.

As she walked down the street, Lightning asked herself for the first time if her hatred and rage wasn't, in fact, bringing her to her most hated enemy's level. And she felt even more hatred and rage towards the angel that was plunging her into that ocean of confusion.

_"__I hate you. And you don't know how much."_


	9. Threat

**A/N:** _Finally! I'm sorry for making you wait. I'm dealing with finals in university and I'm overloaded by work. But I managed to finish this at last! In the next chapters more mysteries will start to reach the surface, though I'm hinting at some stuff already in this one. I also wanted to work in Serah and Hope's interactions so this chapter gave me lots of room for it._

_As always, all reviews are highly welcome! I'll try to make your reading as entertaining as I'm able to! ;D_

* * *

_**Wings of Light**_

* * *

**| VIII |**

**Threat**

* * *

The pub known as "The Farseer's Rest" was located in the outskirts of Luxerion, not far from where the Farron sisters lived. It was a small, gloomy place compared to the inns of the capital.

But it was a discreet place, and that was actually the role the pub had to play.

"Hey, Lightning!", Noel Kreiss, the owner and bartender, greeted when Lightning entered the pub. "You've come so early. Fang told me we weren't expecting you until the afternoon."

"Well, yeah", she growled and sat at the bar. "I didn't really want to stay at home."

Noel looked at her suspiciously, while looking behind the bar a large glass and a couple of bottles.

"Fang told me a bit about it. Something about a wounded guy you found in the street and you're looking after him. Does it have to do with it, or Snow's the problem again?"

Lightning huffed. Not even going to the pub she could get rid of that damn angel.

"Why are you making that face?", Noel raised an eyebrow, and filled the glass with banaberry liquor before handing it to the young woman. "Don't tell me he's troubling you."

"Specify what you mean. If you're hinting at anything, I'll make you swallow that bottle."

"I didn't mean that! Though, wow, look at how quickly you snapped out", Noel laughed. Lightning frowned, annoyed, and sipped her drink. "That's no small feat, considering how hard is to make you lose control…"

"Shut up, Noel."

Noel knew well Lightning's temper and preferred not commenting anything, but he kept a little smile that the young woman didn't like at all. What in the world he would be thinking about now?

"How's Serah doing?", he asked after a while, washing some glasses. "It's been a long time since the last time she came here. Since, you know…"

"She's better", Lightning sighed. "If we're a bit lucky, it'll no longer be active soon. But you know that in her case it's more usual it reactivates again."

"Yeah, I know", Noel frowned. "Tell me about it, at this point."

Since they were children, Noel and Serah had been best friends, almost like siblings, so the young man knew very well the particular ability of the youngest Farron sister. And now his love interest had the same gift, or rather curse, something that had him constantly in worry, plus the fact he hardly could meet her.

"Look who's here", Fang's voice suddenly weighed in; Lightning turned, and of course saw her best friend entering the pub. "You've come a lot early than usual for ya."

"That's what I was telling her", Noel said, smiling, and he took another liquor bottle for Fang. "Looks like that guy she has at home is giving her some serious trouble."

"Oh, really? I told ya, boy, this was gonna be promising", Fang smiled mischievously, raising her eyebrows and elbowing Lightning. She huffed, highly irritated.

_"__This is the last thing I had left to hear"_, she thought holding back the urge to punch them both.

"I told you it's not like that. I wouldn't get closer than three meters to that being."

Fang and Noel exchanged a puzzled look.

"That 'being'? You're kidding, or you really mean he's not human?", Noel asked.

"That's what I mean. And you don't know how much I want to get rid of him."

"Oh, so I was right then?", Fang said. "He's not human? Now _this_ is promising. Spill it, sunshine."

Lightning didn't want to talk about the angel. She had gone to the pub to relax and stop thinking about him, but apparently Fang and Noel weren't of the same opinion.

And she also knew them well enough to know they wouldn't leave her alone until she told them.

Though, who knows? Maybe she could convince them to kill the angel once she told them what he was.

* * *

The touch of strange hands on the sore skin of his back made Hope wake up from his sleep. He weakly opened his eyes and shivered, trying to move away from whoever was touching him.

"Easy", Serah's reassuring voice said. "I'm only going to heal your wounds, okay?"

Hope turned between the sheets, and saw Serah there, sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands giving off the soft bluish glow Lightning's also did when she healed him.

"… Where is Lightning?", the young angel asked, looking around with effort. Since he had regained consciousness, it had always been her who had healed him. Perhaps that's why he reacted that way with Serah.

"She's gone… She'll be back for dinner, but in the meantime I'll have to change your bandages and heal you in her place", Serah smiled sweetly. "Is it that you want my sister to do it?"

Hope frowned slightly. He didn't know if he wanted or not, but maybe by habit, he felt more comfortable when Lightning was the one who took care of him.

"She always does it… She doesn't hurt me. Though I know she doesn't want to heal me."

Serah sighed.

"I won't hurt you, I promise. I know it's not the same for you, but if I leave you with the same bandages for the next hours until she comes back, your wounds could be infected. I'll do it as quickly as possible to not bother you, okay?"

It seemed he had no choice. Hope said nothing, but sat up slowly to let Serah heal him, not without reluctance. He felt his body tensing up when the young woman brushed his back with her fingers again when she started taking away his bandages.

"Sorry…", Serah muttered, trying to touch him the least possible. "Did I hurt you?"

"It is not hurt", Hope said quietly. "I don't like it when humans touch me."

She tilted her head while she took away the first layer of those thick bandages. Despite the days that had passed, they were still stained with blood, which meant Hope's wounds were still bleeding.

"I guess it's normal, if you're not used to physical contact. It has to be hard for you, now that you're stuck with us…"

"You respect enough my personal space", Hope held back a wince when Serah retired the next layer of bandages, closer to his wounds. "Which I appreciate… Yet you affect me."

"We affect you? What do you mean?", Serah looked worried.

Hope took a deep breath before answering. He had regained some of his strength thanks to the care of the Farron sisters, but for a couple of days now he had noticed he was feeling more and more exhausted.

"I sense the energy that all entities give off", the young angel explained. "Both positive and negative. Through this power, I can know when the world is in balance or is threatened by the concentration of energy… But they also affect me. Positive energy strengthens my life force, while negative energy weakens it."

Serah's eyes widened in surprise. She began to understand why Hope slept so much lately and why he was getting that thinner.

"You mean we're making your life force… to be consumed?"

"Not exactly", Hope said, taking a deep breath. "It is true that in your realm your combined energy affects me more, but you emanate both positive and negative energy, which should leave me in a neutral state. However…", he paused. "When this energy is projected straight at me, then it is when it has direct consequences over my life force."

He said nothing more, but it wasn't necessary. Serah understood immediately what was leaving Hope without energy, and narrowed her eyes sadly.

"It's my sister, isn't it? You're sensing all the negativity she feels towards you, and it's draining your life force."

Hope didn't reply. He had his back to Serah, but she didn't have to see his face to know the answer. Specially since his expression wouldn't have changed much.

"I'm sorry, Hope", she muttered, sighing. "Please forgive my sister. I know it's not your fault to be what you are, but I'm afraid Lightning doesn't think like me…"

"I have no reason to demand her any apology. She's in her right to hate me, and I cannot do anything about it."

Finally, Serah removed the last bandage layer, leaving those two horrible wounds exposed to the air. As she feared, they still bled, but not so abundantly as before. Hope shivered when he felt the pain of his torn up back.

"Relax, it'll hurt less", Serah kindly said; the young angel took a deep breath and tried to relax the muscles of his back. The pain subsided a bit. "I think they're better… My sister is the one that knows about this type of wound, but they look better than before."

He preferred not to say anything. He wasn't that sure. In the case his wounds would ever completely heal, he had no guarantee that his wings would grow back but Bhunivelze's word. And his master had abandoned him in the human world to his fate. Did he really had a reason to trust him?

At once, his brand of servitude started to burn, making him wince. He brought a hand to the scar that covered his left eye: a reminder that despite his punishment and having lost his wings, he still was a servant of God, and he wasn't allowed to doubt him.

"What's wrong?", Serah asked worriedly.

"Nothing that should worry you", Hope muttered, lowering his hand. Serah frowned, but made no comment: she kept healing the wounds of the young angel with her Cure spells.

For a few minutes they were silent. Hope tried to relax his back, feeling a little more energy thanks to Serah's healing magic, but exhaustion was still weighing on him.

"My sister doesn't hate you in particular", Serah said gently, withdrawing her hands from Hope's back. "It's what you represent. She considers you a threat, in many ways."

"I won't hurt you", Hope murmured. "I don't understand why I should. You are human, but I don't have anything against you. You have taken me into your house and saved my life."

Serah smiled sadly.

"That's a relief to hear… But you don't know anything about us, Hope… And I'm sure you wouldn't think the same if you knew certain things."

Hope frowned slightly. Certain "things"? He would've asked with more interest if he had been anyone else, but he was an angel and his curiosity was very limited.

"If you fear that I will not think the same and I would hurt you if you tell me, I don't understand why you mention it."

She let out a short laugh, taking the bandages beside her and she began bandaging again Hope's back.

"Seen this way, it's absurd, I know… I don't know why I've told you. It's not that I distrust you, but we have our reasons to keep some secrets from you."

"I should suppose you are probing me then."

Serah half-smiled.

"For not knowing how humans feel, the truth is you're quite sharp."

"It is not a question of sharpness", Hope replied, tilting his head. "Like I said, I can feel the energy that all living things give off. I sense negativity from you. It is not aggressive like Lightning's, thus I guess it can be fear."

There was silence. Serah kept bandaging the young angel's back, but her hands were shaking slightly.

"I don't know if it's fear… Perhaps it's suspicion", she muttered after a couple of minutes. "You don't look capable of hurting us, Hope, but I don't know to what extent you're responsible for the Order's tyranny, as everyone says. And their treatment to those who are like my sister, my friends and me."

Hope said nothing, but he was intrigued by Serah's words. What kind of people they would be, that the Order seemed to treat so badly? He had already sensed something about the energy that the sisters emanated, something that other humans lacked. But he couldn't tell what it was.

_"__It is much more intense in Lightning…"_, the young angel thought, squinting. _"I wonder if it is her aura what draws me to her like this… But her negativity doesn't let me delve into her."_

"There", Serah said as she finished bandaging his back, smiling. "I hope I've not bothered you much, Hope. I'll try to ensure my sister does it tomorrow."

"Don't worry. I appreciate that you healed me", he said, resting his head on the pillow. Despite he had regained some energy, he felt exhausted in general. "It is just… I feel more comfortable when Lightning does it."

Serah looked at him with a strange sparkle in her blue eyes. She smiled in a way Hope didn't quite identify. It was as if she kept some sort of secret.

"But you say that being close to my sister drains your life force away, and you can't say she treats you nicely."

"That is right."

"And you still want her to heal you? Why?"

"I don't know…", Hope closed his eyes, confused. "I only know I do. Maybe it is because I am used to it."

Serah's smile slightly widened. But she said nothing more about it; she got up from the bed with the dirty, bloodied bandages on her hands and covered Hope with the blanket.

"Tonight my fiancé will come and he'll stay a few days with us", she told him. Hope half-opened his eyes in a reaction Serah identified as alarm. "Don't worry, he's such a good man. A little plain at times, but he won't do anything to you, I promise. He was who brought you home, though maybe you don't remember."

He didn't look convinced, but he simply nodded weakly. He didn't remember meeting Serah's fiancé, but the prospect of having more humans around worried him. He knew he wasn't very welcome in general, and having to endure more negative energy besides Lightning's towards him didn't particularly please him.

_"__What I am supposed to have done to earn the hatred of all these humans? Do all of them hate me, or only people like Lightning and Serah do, whatever they are?"_

It shouldn't, but the idea made him feel strangely empty on the inside. Very slightly, of course, but for a being that was supposed to have no emotions, a complete wonder.

"Now rest, Hope", Serah interrupted the course of his thoughts. "I'll leave you some food if you're still asleep when we have dinner, if you wake up while we're sleeping and you're hungry, okay?"

He nodded again, already crushed under the exhaustion that always took over him whenever confusion struck him. He'd only take a few seconds to fall asleep, something that the Farron sisters had already learnt to anticipate.

When Serah left the room and closed the door behind her, she half-smiled and put a hand to her heart. She couldn't help but wonder if the angel had anything to do with what she had seen many years ago… and what had been guiding her sister's motivation during all that time.

Maybe, just maybe… Lightning had gone astray on her pursue.

Or maybe that was what she, Serah, wanted to believe. Perhaps Hope represented a different threat that her sister could ever begin to imagine.


	10. Ally

**A/N:** _Freedom at last! I'm finally freed from my finals! Yes, here in Spain, finals can last up until July, so I can feel fortunate enough to finish them in June. For those who had been worrying, no, I'm not leaving this story. I was just struggling with finals._

_From now on, I'll have a lot more time to write this story, so keep tuned! You can expect more chapters soon, and by soon I mean a weekly one almost for sure. It depends on my inspiration, but fortunately for me this story inspires me quite a bit._

_As always, I'm so grateful for your reviews and comments! In this chapter, I've left... quite a bit of intriguing stuff. Besides more Hoperai than usual in this story._

* * *

**_Wings of Light_**

* * *

**| IX |**

**Ally**

* * *

Lightning couldn't sleep that night. She kept turning between the sheets she had brought to the living room couch, unable to relax and stop thinking about everything that happened that day, and her conversation with Serah.

The truth was, she had a lot to think about. The two conversations she had that day had turned upside down everything she was planning to do with the angel. She was still angry at him, wishing for him to get away from her sight, but now she realized that perhaps, after all, she needed him, contrary to her principles.

That, of course, made her hatred for him increase. So she chose to sleep that night in the living room couch, instead of the one on her room, after what Serah told her.

But the conversation she specifically had in mind was the one she shared with her friends in the pub that afternoon.

* * *

"So, an angel, huh?", Fang smiled dangerously; Lightning knew the gesture, and she knew it meant imminent danger. "The angel of God, no less. So it turns out, Vanille _really_ nearly killed him…"

Noel, unlike Fang, was staring at her with an open mouth.

"I can't believe it. You have one of our greatest enemies at home, Lightning! And you're sheltering him of your own accord?"

"Never", she growled, in a very bad mood. "If I haven't killed him yet is because Serah doesn't let me. Apparently she and Snow are of the opinion we shouldn't blame him for being what he is."

"I don't understand", Noel shook his head. "Serah should be the first one to wish his death! I know she doesn't like to kill anyone, but protecting the angel of God is a whole different thing…"

"This is why I've told you. Maybe together we can convince Serah to allow us to kill him", Lightning looked at them almost fiercely. "He'll bring us nothing but misfortune, and I refuse to have him interfering in our lives and our mission."

Noel made the motion to nod, and Lightning felt for a moment that the battle was won and finally she and her friends would get rid of that angel.

But then Fang raised her hand:

"Wait, wait, sunshine. Now that you mentioned our mission… You sure you've thought through about what you're gonna do with that angel?"

Lightning looked at her, not knowing what she meant.

"What are you saying?"

"C'mon", Fang gave her another of her dangerous smiles. "You should be the one most interested in keeping the angel alive, at least for now. Don't tell me you've already forgotten."

She shook her head in annoyance, but she was also puzzled. What was what she had forgotten, and why did she need the angel alive?

"It's unbelievable you don't remember. You've spent years looking for the Heart, and now you've forgotten about the legend! You, of all people!"

Fang's words left Lightning pale as death. She looked down, unable to truly believe she had missed that particular detail.

_"__How could I be so stupid? I've been so driven by hate and anger, I almost lost the only chance that maybe I'll ever have to find what I'm looking for…"_

"Oh, of course!", Noel clapped his hands, once he had recovered from the news. "I didn't even remember the legend! Perhaps it's true after all, and you all know, I had my doubts."

Fang sharpened her smile triumphantly at seeing Lightning pale and stunned. If there was anything able to break through her barriers, it was her goal. Specially if it was anything that could get her closer to it, perhaps her only chance.

Lightning took a moment to answer cautiously:

"… We have no guarantee that the legend is actually true. And much less about that angel helping us, if he suspects anything about for what we want the Heart."

"Oh, c'mon, don't try to play skeptical now", Fang laughed scathingly. "I won't buy it. You're the one who has always believed in that legend on blind faith."

"What you don't want is to have to resort to the angel", Noel argued.

Certainly not, Lightning didn't want to admit that maybe she needed the angel of God alive. She was torn between her wish to find the Heart, and the pride that prevented her from asking for help from that being.

"We can't trust him", the young woman said, taking a deep breath. "The Order is also looking for the Heart, and he's a servant of Bhunivelze. He could betray us easily for his master."

"You think so?", Fang stroked her chin. "Without knowing him, I can't tell, but from what you've told us, Bhunivelze ripped his wings off from disobeying him and left him abandoned in our world."

"Right, I don't think he has a lot of sympathy for him", Noel said, washing the glasses. "I wouldn't, anyway. In fact, if someone did anything like that to me, I'd try to get a bit of payback."

"We're human. He's nothing but an empty shell which merely follows order, even if he's mistreated."

"Whatever", Fang interrupted her, "the truth is, he's all we've had in a while to get closer to the Heart. And I really doubt you wanna lose this chance."

Lightning raised a brow.

"And what you suggest I should do?"

"Want my opinion? Entice him. Not in the way you're thinking", Fang smiled slyly when she caught the glare of the young woman, "but by not being hostile with him. According to you, he's like a kid, right? Well, kids tend to be kinder to those who are kind with them as well."

"Besides, if he likes you as Serah says, it shouldn't be difficult to bring him to our side", Noel added smiling encouragingly.

Lightning grunted, not very convinced. Hypocrisy wasn't her thing, and having to swallow up her hatred for the angel and treating him with some kindness wasn't something she felt like doing. She'd rather stab her sword in his heart and finish the job earlier.

But her friends were right. If that angel was her only option to find the Heart and fulfill her destiny at last…

"… Right", she reluctantly murmured. "I'll do it."

"That's the spirit, sunshine", Fang patted her on the shoulder. "Sacrificing yourself for the Heart, huh?"

"For the King", she corrected her, annoyed.

"For the King", her friend conceded, nodding with a fierce smile.

"For the King!", Noel said giving them a thumbs-up. It was a line that all of them had always said in their secret meetings in the pub, and even though it was only generally used as a formality to proclaim the meeting was over, that time was full of a lot more meaning.

Specially for Lightning.

_"__For the King."_

* * *

When she got home, Lightning had found Serah and Snow waiting for her with the dinner on the table, but she didn't feel like eating. She had briefly greeted them and had gone upstairs; not to her bedroom, where a sleeping Hope was laying, but to Serah's. She lied on her bed, feeling angry and confused at the angel who was asleep a few feet away.

Serah went upstairs to her bedroom shortly after, undoubtedly worried about her. But she was a lot more serious than usual.

Lightning soon found out why. According to Serah, her hate and negative feelings towards Hope were draining his life energy, and if that continued that way, it'd end up draining it completely. After what she had learned that day, she couldn't let the angel die because of her. As much as it nagged her, she needed him alive.

Dawn was starting to rise and Lightning hadn't even gotten a bit of sleep. Her confusion wouldn't allow her, and she wasn't used to sleeping on the living room couch. She sighed resignedly, getting up and rubbing her sore eyes.

_"__It's obvious that until I solve this once and for all I won't be able to rest in peace."_

She went upstairs, frowning briefly when she saw Serah's bedroom door, where her sister and Snow were sleeping together. Snow might be one of them, but he was very different at the same time, and Lightning didn't think he was worthy of Serah. And she dealt even worse with the fact Serah had chosen him over her.

She shook her head to not add more fuel to the flames of her anger, and went to her bedroom. She found Hope there, lying on her bed as always, but instead of being asleep as usual, his head was slightly tilted as he was watching the dim sunlight of dawn that came through the curtains covering the window, his eyes squinting a bit. Maybe the fact that he no longer only woke up when the sisters forced him to meant he was getting better, but the truth was he looked so pale and haggard, and Lightning had to admit he really looked to be consumed.

"… Lightning?", Hope muttered when he heard her coming in, turning his head to her slowly. As he always did when they were alone, the angel's eyes acquired this strange spark. A mix of fear and perhaps interest. Or rather, curiosity.

She wrinkled her nose at him in silence. She wasn't sure what to say or how to act. A few hours ago, she had been sure she wanted to kill him. Now she had to earn his trust, but despite his hard time trying to understand human emotions, Hope was no fool, and he'd suspect if she suddenly was friendly with him. And besides, she wasn't good at being hypocritical. Nor friendly.

Hope didn't take his eyes off her, and Lightning realized he was checking if she was carrying any weapon. She realized he was well aware she wanted to kill him, and that convinced her to not even bother pretending anything.

"I'm not going to kill you, for now", the young woman snarled, getting closer to the edge of the bed. She stood beside it, crossing her arms. "Unless you give me more reasons for it. Now stop looking at me like that."

He looked away, but he was still tense. Lightning wondered if, in case she had come to kill him, he'd have defended himself. He still had no strength to get up, but he was an angel after all.

"Serah told me what's happening to you", the young woman continued. "She says my negative feelings towards you are draining your life energy. Is that true?"

"… It is", Hope said softly. "It is not your fault. I am the one who senses it, and from what I hear you saying, you have enough reasons to feel them."

Lightning held back the urge to punch him. Not only because of the anger she felt towards him, but because she couldn't believe he was _apologizing_ because she was leaving him without his life force. But on the other hand, his words proved that Hope wasn't as asleep as they sometimes thought: he might not know the specific reason, but he had got the general idea that he was the cause of all their misfortunes.

"I'll be honest with you", the young woman sighed coldly. "I have reasons to hate you, and I can't pretend I don't. It's useless to make you believe otherwise, because you're the first one who senses it."

Hope said nothing. He simply frowned slightly, as he always did whenever Lightning told him harsh words.

"But I've been thinking that maybe you can help us. And so I decided to not kill you, if you're not hostile with us."

He stared at her for a few seconds. His expression hadn't changed much, but in his eyes Lightning could read bewilderment and curiosity.

"I will not hurt you", Hope said cautiously. "I am an angel, I cannot lie. But I feel that this help you speak about refers not only to your sister and you. You want more of me and so you will not kill me."

_"__Damn angel"_, Lightning though, blinking briefly. Hope had reached the bottom of the question in a moment, which basically destroyed any subtle attempt to win his favor. _"For someone who doesn't understand humans, he caught it pretty quickly."_

"Yes", she merely replied, trying not to look surprised. "But you should know that if you do, you'll be turning against the Order. They're also looking for what we do."

Hope tilted his head thoughtfully. The Order was considered the hands of God in the mortal realm, and he had given messages to their mediums from his master. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to disobey him again after having been punished that harshly.

_"__Wait a moment…"_, Hope thought, surprised. _"Am I really pondering… disobeying God once again? After what happened to me the first time I did?"_

He was certainly doing it. He was seriously considering it. Hope couldn't help wondering why. Maybe because it was Lightning who was asking him for help? After all, the first time he had disobeyed God's orders, it had been because of her.

Lightning was looking at him. Hope tried to decide, and find a way to help her without having to be punished after. Some way to find a hole in the orders his master had imposed him.

And he found it.

"I am not a servant of the Order", the angel replied. "I do not owe them anything. And about God… The orders he gave me only concerned him. His only order about humans was that I would not walk among them, and since that is what I did and I was punished to remain among you, there is nothing that prevents me to help you. Thus, whatever it is, I will."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Are you absolutely sure? We're not like the rest of humans. And I'm not going to take the risk to trust you if I don't have any guarantee that you won't betray us to the Order or your master."

"I cannot lie", Hope gave her a serene look. "But I can tell you not the whole truth. That applies both to you and God."

Again, Lightning couldn't but be left speechless at the angel's brutal honesty. From what she was seeing, he was an expert in finding ways around the imposed orders. It was logical, of course, because knowing what awaited him if he disobeyed, he'd have learned to analyze words and meanings.

And yet, he was being honest enough to reveal to her an asset that he had against them as well as against his master.

_"__Is that a proof of good will? A sign that I can trust him?"_

The truth was, Hope was an angel, and Lightning doubted he was wicked enough to make her believe she could trust him and then backstabbing her. For that, he would need a deep understanding of how the human mind worked, and Hope obviously lacked it. What he knew, he got it by deduction thanks to the positive and negative energy he felt from them.

"Right", the young woman said, and held out a hand. "If you give me your word, I'm willing to throw aside my previous intention to end your life. But you should know that I hate you, Hope, and that won't ever change, no matter if you're our ally."

Hope looked down, but he looked up at her seriously again, and shook her hand after a brief moment of doubt.

"I'll live with it. Controlled hatred will not kill me."

Lightning briefly raised her eyebrows at his words. Was it just her impression, or for a moment Hope had printed a tinge of sarcasm in his voice? He certainly had sounded less formal than usual.

_"__Actually…"_, the young woman looked at the pale hand that was shaking hers,_ "I'd say he's not as cold as he was days ago."_

Confusion struck again. Lightning let go of Hope's hand brusquely, irritated, and forced herself to remember that he was an angel who served God, an ally of convenience, and that she hated him and she would always hate him.

"Lightning", Hope murmured then, and this time the young woman could tell there was a tinge of sadness in his voice. "I know you hate me, that you want me dead and judging by what I get from your aura, I deserve it. But I can assure you that I will not hurt nor betray you ever. You saved my life, and I am and I will always be indebted to you and your sister."

_"__Damn you"_, Lightning thought, looking at him as surprised as puzzled. Now she didn't expect that, much less coming from the angel of Bhunivelze. What he would be up to? Why did he suddenly say something like that, if he wasn't more than an empty shell that only lived to obey his master without question?

At her silence, Hope looked up at her, into her eyes. Even though his expression remained almost marble-like, Lightning noticed in his green eyes a spark she had never seen before. It seemed… of amusement. Or maybe sarcasm. Or a mix of both.

"You know I cannot lie", the young angel said, tilting his head, with that spark in his eyes that had left her speechless. No doubt, he was being sarcastic. Like a child that was starting to get into the world of emotions, yes. But emotions, after all.

"You can tell not the whole truth as well", she replied, raising an eyebrow. To which Hope replied mimicking her for a split second, so fleeting she wouldn't have believed it if not for his answer:

"It is up to you to trust your ally, Lightning."

Lightning shook her head, trying to hold back a small smile. Perhaps, after all, he could help her in her search for the Heart without resorting to dirty tricks.

"Turn around", she said, sitting on the edge of the bed; upon noticing Hope's questioning look, she added, "I'll check how you're doing with those wounds."

Hope looked surprised at first, but he obeyed, turning to lie down with his back to her with effort. Clearly those wounds still pained him a lot, and they would take a long time to heal.

However, the longer they took, the longer Hope would remain with them, and therefore they'd have more time to find what she sought.

They remained silent for a long time while Lightning took away the young angel's bandages from the previous day before using her healing magic on those horrible, still-bleeding wounds that marked his pale, bony back.

"Hope?", Lightning said after long minutes, after pondering it deeply.

He barely reacted:

"Yes?"

"… You can call me Light."

Hope turned his head to her, puzzled.

"W-What?", he asked cautiously, almost shyly.

She gave him a half smile full of sarcasm.

"Aren't we supposed to be allies now? You've offered me a proof of good will with your sincerity before. It's fair I do the same. Consider it a proof of our pact. So when you call me by that name, you'll remember you're the ally that I hate so much."

The young angel said nothing for a moment, but he finally nodded. His back to her as it was, Lightning wondered if that amused spark she had seen in his eyes would've returned.

"We are even then, Light."

Without saying anything more, Lightning continued healing Hope's wounds in silence, while thinking about the unprecedented pact she had just sealed with the angel of God.

_"__We're now allies"_, the young woman thought, closing her eyes briefly. _"For the King."_


End file.
